Since around the year 700, kings and queens have been in charge of England. More recently, they took control of Scotland and Wales, and by 1919, they controlled almost a fifth of the world. Last September, while Charles Jeffrey Loverboy was putting this collection together, Elizabeth II was being buried and Charles III was getting ready to be crowned. That made fashion Charles, the other Charles, think.

Between 1649 and 1660, England did not have a king or queen. Before the French made republicanism cool in 1789, the Roundheads won the English Civil War and got rid of the king, who was also named Charles. For a short time, Parliament and Oliver Cromwell ran the country. Cromwell died, and Charles II was put back on the throne after a while. So, the story goes on.

For this collection, Loverboy made up a fashion-based version of the Restoration era in which society was fair and beautiful, just like he’d like to see it. He combined this idea with a focus on sportswear (since he’s been training for a marathon and CJL’s sportier pieces have been selling well) and then mixed history with hyper-modernity by using AI tools to research and (in the case of the floral) even design parts of the collection.

The result was a piece of fashion theater that was funny, rude, and made people think. Several of the props could be seen giving bravura performances at retail. Liquid Ecstasy was a line of sequin-covered jeans that had pieces that were both very stylish and very campy. A fluoro green technical skort with a wraparound kilt looked like it would be a raver’s choice in the future. Inside tricorn hats were scenes from plays that were made by AI. These were pure fantasies, like a good, well-funded British health service and an effective, kind policy toward refugee seekers.

Other interesting details included some fuzzy Muppet-like pieces in teal fil coupe shirting, animist roaring-cat belt buckles (to go with the hooked clogs and shoes), pagan-like block print denim, and some high britches/puff-shorts in that emergency green. The final extreme court dress pieces made with Wedgwood were a great way to end the show.

There was so much humor, personality, politics, and queerness in this book that Jeffrey’s carefree attitude that his experiments with AI might turn him into a robot made me laugh.
Charles Jeffrey Loverboy is a visionary fashion designer whose artful approach to gender has revolutionized the way the world, particularly the fashion industry, sees itself. Born and raised in modern, innovative Scotland, Charles Jeffery gained attention for his unique take on fashion, which shunned categorization, subverting men’s and women’s cultural signifiers. He initiated a new type of genderless fashion, targeting young adults and millennials who had grown up in the era of social media and, in many cases, an unprecedented acceptance of difference.

By merging the underground aesthetics of outsider movements with an irreverent take on haute couture sensibilities, Charles Jeffery’s designs signal a new era in the fashion industry. His clothes are often inhabited with titles describing a super-futurist urban landscape of bird-like creatures and robots, evoking imagery from childhood fantasies and futuristic dreams, blending fantasy and reality.

His signature sex-specific garments draw on historical references with an anarchic, deconstructionist edge. The designs provoke, challenge, and empower the modern genderless society, emphasizing strength in the newfound diversity. His artful approach encourages conversations and redefinitions of gender identity and celebrates the individuality of his customers.

The collections have been praised for their complexity, colour, and extravagance, and are all about embracing change and self-expression — something that is becoming increasingly important to many young people today. Critically acclaimed and exhibited in some of the world’s top museums, Charles Jeffery is quickly becoming a star of the fashion industry. His individual approach is allowing the fashion world to continue to expand its boundaries in ways never thought possible.